Project Management in Local Nonprofit Organizations: Engaging Students in Problem-Based Learning

Abstract

This article describes problem-based learning (PBL) at the subsystem level, namely, the application of PBL in a project management course that empowers student teams to solve problems in nonprofit organizations. Faculty members teaching in project-based disciplines can employ the authors’ approach to introduce PBL and document its effectiveness, possibly using this to move their university toward system-wide PBL. Faculty members teaching in other disciplines can adapt portions of the authors’approach to their courses. This article explains the course objectives, the project selection, the deliverables, and how students direct their own learning. The authors describe their assessment process in which expert judges evaluate completed projects and award a prize to the best team project.